London, United Kingdom; January, 2019 - The gig economy is on the rise. In fact, reports indicate around 53 million people are currently freelancing in the USA and about 15% of the UK working population has adopted a flexible working lifestyle. All signs point to these numbers increasing dramatically over the next few years, which is great news for creatives.

Creative professionals of all types have been embracing the freedom of freelance life as a way to increase their creativity and mold their lifestyles around what genuinely inspires them. But freelancing has its downsides. Many artists and creators feel they sometimes miss out on the chance to meet and connect with fellow creatives. They can feel isolated which then leads to a lack of inspiration and collaboration.

This is why Oxford based, Chris Cave founded Jumptin, a digital and social community where creative professionals and freelancers can come together to connect, learn and collaborate.

“I’ve worked in the creative industry for many years, launching a creative agency that produces films, websites, e-learning courses and digital media,” says Chris, “Through the agency, we regularly use freelancers to help with projects, and after learning more about their working experiences, I realised there was a real need for a supportive community.”

Since launching in May 2018 Jumptin has attracted more than 1000 members from over 30 different creative industries, ranging from art and design through to film and TV, all now using the platform to connect with other local members, learn and develop skills and collaborate on projects together.

Jumptin members can follow industry news, make new connections, collaborate on projects and ask questions. The platform also offers areas where members can explore their passions more socially, though the book club, community challenge space and soon to launch film club.

Jumptin also offers support in the form of promotion. Each month, different members are featured in spotlight articles which are shared via Jumptin’s social media channels.

Chris’s hope is that Jumptin will not only offer a place for creatives to support and encourage one another, but also become a central hub for new ideas, news and techniques within the creative industry.

“While there are plenty of creative platforms online, they are specialized into industries, which is great if you want to discover information or find people in the same field of work, but not if you’re looking to connect across different skill sets. Jumptin is a space that I’m hoping more people will use to collaborate on projects that require a variety of skills and talents.”

The Jumptin platform is itself a product of the kind of creative collaboration that it aims to foster. Chris called on a group of freelancers with a variety of skillsets to help him build the community that they themselves would benefit from.

“Each member of our creative team has become an integral part of this journey by sharing their unique skills, from our social media manager Hannah, to Matt, our creative consultant and our community manager, Francesca.” Says Chris.

To kick off last year, Jumptin offered free-for-life membership to the first 1005 members and has now switched to a member subscription that costs less than the cost of a couple of coffees a month.

Jumptin offers an advert-free platform, with greater user privacy, with the value and benefits far exceeding the cost.

According to Chris, Jumptin has already been receiving positive feedback from its existing membership community and he looks forward to seeing how the platform can benefit even more creatives as it grows and evolves.